Is there a gender gap in chemical sciences scholarly communication?

Area of Science:

• Chemical Sciences
• Academic Publishing
• Gender Diversity

Background:

• Women remain underrepresented in chemical sciences research.
• Publication and citation metrics significantly influence research funding and career progression.
• Understanding gender-based disparities in academic publishing is crucial for promoting equality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze gender-based biases in the publication process for Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) journals.
• To investigate the impact of author and reviewer gender on submission outcomes.
• To identify trends in female representation across different stages of academic publishing.

Main Methods:

• Statistical analysis of RSC journal data from January 2014 to July 2018.
• Examination of variables including author gender, reviewer gender, reviewer recommendations, and submission outcomes.
• Investigation of interactions between variables affecting publishing success.

Main Results:

• Approximately one-third of chemistry researchers are female, with variations across sub-disciplines.
• A 'trickle-down' decrease in female representation was observed from submission to citation.
• Female authors exhibited lower success rates than male authors at various publishing stages.
• Female representation decreased with increasing author seniority (first to corresponding author) and in reviewer roles.

Conclusions:

• The publishing process in chemical sciences presents complex, multi-stage biases against women.
• Addressing these biases requires a nuanced approach beyond single-factor interventions.
• Findings highlight the need for targeted strategies to improve gender equity in academic chemistry.